PCP on DVD - Yet Another Backlog Clearout

Once again, I found myself facing a giant pile of films that I needed to write reviews for, but not the time to do it justice. So, like my many prior backlog clearouts that I have done, here's a quick burst of 12 mini-reviews for some movies that I've caught on DVD since last fall, in alphabetical order.

42 - The Jackie Robinson biopic was extremely well acted, especially by the star, Chadwick Boseman, who I don't recall seeing in anything before this. He did such a great job here though, and he's been tapped to star as James Brown in that legend's upcoming biopic as well. The film does a great job of showing the challenges that Jackie Robinson had to face in breaking the MLB's color barrier. A fitting film for an American hero. My rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Argo - What can be said that hasn't been said already about the Oscar Winner for best picture from a year ago? The acting was outstanding by the incredible cast. Ben Affleck has really matured into an incredible director, he hasn't had a misstep in a few years now, and has fully redeemed himself for Gigli. My rating: 10 out of 10.

Carrie - It's been too long since I saw the original, so it is hard to compare the remake to this one. Thanks to modern technology though they were able to do some really cool things with her telekinetic powers though. But like many Stephen King adaptations, the film was only meh at best, and this remake was probably not necessary.  My rating: 6 out of 10.

Despicable Me 2 - I liked the first one a whole lot better than this one. The first one was a pleasant surprise, this one was a bit of a repetitive retread. Hopefully the spin-off film starring the minions will be funnier. My rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Django Unchained - Quentin Tarantino is the man. I love his movies, and Django Unchained was probably his best yet. Outstanding film. Everyone involved, but especially Jamie Foxx, Leo DiCaprio, and Christoph Waltz were a blast to watch in this film.  My rating: 10 out of 10.

Monster's University - While not as good as the original, it was still nice to inhabit the universe of these characters again. It wasn't as big of a disappointment as Despicable Me 2 was, but it was still somewhat of a let down. Pixar might be starting to lose some of its magic. My rating: 8 out of 10.

Now You See Me - Visually this film was very striking, and it was entertaining thanks to the charismatic performances of the extremely talented cast, combined with some pretty cool magic tricks. Too bad the film squanders a bit of the goodwill on a "twist" ending that the film doesn't really truly lay any groundwork for, resulting in a somewhat unbelievable ending. My rating: 7 out of 10.

Oz the Great and Powerful - I thought this film was a lot of fun and it was way better than I expected. I especially liked some of the little Sam Raimi touches such as debris flying at James Franco in a way that reminded me of the Evil Dead series. While it could have been better, it was a fun ride that I enjoyed. My rating: 8 out of 10.

R.I.P.D. - This comic book adaptation about a supernatural police force had a lot of potential, as well as two great leads in Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges. Too bad it was really just a weak Men in Black ripoff, just with demons instead of aliens as the opposition. My rating: 4 out of 10.

Silver Linings Playbook - Another film worthy of all of the praise it has received. It was filled with outstanding performances, including a surprisingly great turn from Chris Tucker in a tiny role. I had this reaction upon seeing him in the film as well. Overall, a very entertaining and touching film. My rating: 10 out of 10.

This is 40 - The spin-off from Knocked Up was very funny for me and my wife, as Paul Rudd's and Leslie Mann's relationship on the screen reminded us quite a bit of our own and had us in stitches for much of the film. My rating: 8 out of 10.

World War Z - The book that this was based on was way better. Also, I'm sorry but they aren't zombies if they move fast. Also, this film was extremely unbelievable. Any viral plague that goes to full fatal infection in 12 seconds after exposure, combined with fast-moving zombie carriers, would lead to the total extinction of humanity as a species. Simply based on exponential growth, the population of a city like New York City would be completely overrun in a matter of minutes. So, points off for major unrealism, but otherwise the film was fun and had good scares. My rating: 7 out of 10.

PCP on DVD - Movie Backlog Clearout

Since I haven't had the time to write reviews because of grad school, but have still had the time to watch movies, I have once again developed a backlog of movies that need to be reviewed. Like I have in the past, I'm going to do a clear-out post of my backlog by posting really short reviews of 23 movies I caught within the past 6 months that I don't want to write more than a paragraph about. There were some good movies in this batch, some bad ones too, but I just want to get their reviews done so I can focus on longer posts on the movies I actually want to write about (i.e. the really good ones).  So, without further ado, here are the quick reviews in alphabetical order.

21 & Over - 2013, rated R. My rating: 5 out of 10. It's a college drinking movie about a 21st birthday celebration. It has its funny moments but nothing particularly original really. Basically, it's a lot like The Hangover retold for a new generation.

About Cherry - 2012, rated R. My rating: 4 out of 10. A lame girl moves to California and gets into the skin industry. Probably the most pointless well acted film I've ever seen. Lame ending left me asking "what was the point?" Don't waste an hour and a half of your life.

A Good Day to Die Hard -2013, rated PG-13. My rating: 5 out of 10. Were this named anything else and not part of the Die Hard franchise it'd probably warrant a 6 or 7, but it gets points off for sullying the name of the greatest action flick ever. Please stop making films in this franchise, thanks.

Beautiful Creatures - 2013, rated PG-13. My rating: 6.5 out of 10. Yet another young adult novel adaptation hoping to be the next Twilight franchise. It has cool effects for the witchcraft moments, and fun scenery-chewing performances, especially from Emmy Rossum. I don't think it did well enough for them to continue the series though.

Celeste & Jesse Forever - 2012, rated R. My rating: 8 out of 10.  Funny but touching, but also majorly depressing. It's not a romantic comedy date movie, it's more sort of like PS I Love You in the fact that it's a depressing love story. Rashida Jones & Andy Samberg are awesome though.

Hanna - 2011, rated R. My rating: 6 out of 10.  Well done action sequences offset by sucky plot meant that I found it hard to care about any of the characters. But, as I said the action sequences were pretty bad-ass, so that prevented the film from being a total waste.

Keep reading! There's more after the jump! --->

PCP on DVD - Backlog clearout of reviews (again)

Thanks for dropping by to take a hit of PCP here at CRAPOLA.  Thanks to the full schedule I have when it comes to being a new father, full time employment, and grad school, I have yet again developed a backlog of DVD reviews.  So to clear these all out so I can start posting individual reviews as I watch each movie, here is a clearout of short reviews of everything I've caught recently on DVD, 18 films in all, in alphabetical order.  As the summer goes on, I'll be seeing a few more films in theaters and I'll aim for a quick turnaround on those reviews, and any movies I catch on DVD I'll try to review within a week of watching as well.  Sorry for the weak posting schedule lately, I'll endeavor to do better in the future but in the meantime I thank you for your patience!  Now on to the reviews!


12 Angry Men (1957)  My rating:  10 out of 10.  This legal classic from 1957 still holds up incredibly well today.  Shot on a minimalist set (the jury room is where 99% of the film takes place) and with characters only going by their juror numbers, this adaptation of a play is a remarkably powerful film.  Henry Fonda as juror # 8 is the star of the cast in this film about sending a man to the death penalty.  If you haven't seen this movie yet, go see it, I can't recommend it enough!

Contagion (2011)  My rating:  7 out of 10.  Far more realistic than any other film about a cataclysm that I've ever seen, this story about the spread of a catastrophic illness throughout humanity will make you want to take a bath in Purell.  Unfortunately it is a bit slow at parts, and some characters that are featured early in the film disappear without their story being resolved, which is frustrating.  Still a decent film though.

Footloose (2011)  My rating:  5 out of 10.  This remake of a classic had no business being made, except for the fact that Hollywood is having an extremely hard time coming up with original ideas these days.  The dance scenes are of course well done, but the acting isn't the best.  Like the overwhelming majority of remakes coming out of Hollywood, I don't think you'll find anyone that thinks this was better than the original.

Green Zone (2010) My rating:  8 out of 10.  It's the Bourne Iraq War.  Starring Matt Damon and directed by Bourne 2 and 3 director Paul Greengrass, this film has a lot of visual similarity to the Bourne films.  Set in the early days of the Iraq War, this film benefits from 20/20 hindsight about the horrendous mistakes made by the American government when it came to the prosecution of this war that we're only just now getting out of, by highlighting those mistakes in flashing neon letters for all to see.  I'd be curious to hear from any veterans of the recent conflict their thoughts on this film, in terms of its portrayal of combat as well as the political message behind the film.

The Help (2011) My rating:  10 out of 10.  Outstanding performances from a very talented cast (including one Oscar winning performance and 2 Oscar nominated performances) make this film an enjoyable one to watch.  It strikes me as a little bit racist though, having the white girl ride to the rescue of the domestic help, but maybe that's just how I (and some others) see it.  Most see it for what it also was - an extremely well acted film.

13 more quick reviews are after the jump, including Real Steel, In Time, Moneyball, and more!

PCP on DVD - 30 films from 2011 quick reviews

Welcome back to CRAPOLA, and the PCP section – Pop Culture Panorama.  As I mentioned in my previous post, my world got a little busy over the last few months as my wife went through her final trimester, our son was born, and I was also taking MBA courses full time, in addition to working.  Thus, I once again developed a backlog of movies to review.  I have 30 movies that I haven’t reviewed yet from 2011 that I caught on blu-ray recently.  In the effort to save time, here are my quick thoughts on all of them, in alphabetical order.  Now once again I’ll have my backlog cleared out, and can hopefully resume live reviewing of movies as I watch them.

Arthur.  My rating:  6 out of 10.  Russell Brand is touching and enjoyable to watch in this quirky indie-ish romantic comedy.  It’s also nice to see Jennifer Garner play against her regular type, acting here as a cold domineering bitch.

Bad Teacher.  My rating:  5 out of 10.  It has a couple funny moments, but it falls short of its potential given its incredibly talented funny cast.  Jason Segel was probably the best part of this movie.

Bridesmaids.  My rating:  9 out of 10.  Extremely funny and touching at the same time.  If you never saw this, you missed out, it was great.  A very talented and funny ensemble cast turns in a great performance, and it was nice to see Kristen Wiig in a role that didn’t make me want to change the channel, unlike some of her annoying SNL characters.

Captain America: The First Avenger.  My rating:  8 out of 10.  A great telling of the Captain America origin story, filmed with great retro feel.  I’m looking forward to seeing more of this version of the character in The Avengers as well as the inevitable Captain America 2.

The Change-Up.  My rating:  7 out of 10.  This film was actually funnier than I thought it would be.  Maybe because I’m at a transitional spot in my life now with the recent birth of my son, but I enjoyed this film a lot, especially the parts where they are showing the struggles with parenting, especially the middle of the night feedings and diaper changes.  A very funny cast turns in solid performances, and I can definitely watch this film again.

Colombiana.  My rating:  8 out of 10.  Zoe Saldana takes names and kicks ass as an assassin in this action flick from the writers of Taken.  The action sequences and kills are very well done and very entertaining, and Saldana is chilling as the stone-cold killing machine.

Courageous.  My rating:  7 out of 10.  A good film with a pretty strong and powerful message.  Wasn’t in theaters long (which is where I saw this), but comes out on DVD in January 2012.  A bit preachy, but considering that it was filmed by Evangelical Christians, that’s not surprising.

The Dilemma.  My rating:  4 out of 10.  Not particularly funny, despite being marketed as a comedy.  It’s kind of like Vince Vaughn’s other film The Break-Up in which there aren’t enough laughs to overcome a depressing story.  Don’t waste your time.

The rest of the reviews are after the jump, including all the summer blockbusters.

PCP on DVD - 18 more short reviews of 2010 films

Ok, here’s the final backlog cleansing of films from prior to the current year.  These 18 films are from 2010, and once I get these out of the way I can go back to longer reviews of actually current films that are new to DVD or in theaters.  Going forward, if I catch an older film on DVD, I will just do a quick blurb review like this as part of a post on current movies.  I’m not gonna let the backlog ever stack up like this again.  So without further ado, here are my thoughts on 18 films from August to December of last year that I’ve caught on DVD recently.  They’re sorted for your convenience by month of release to theaters, so near the end of the post are the films that came out in December and are newer to DVD.

The Switch.  My rating:  5 out of 10.  Another mediocre comedy, nothing spectacular, which is disappointing considering how funny Jason Bateman can be.  Here he’s just neurotic and annoying.

The Other Guys.  My rating:  7 out of 10.  Half buddy comedy, half spoof of buddy comedies, this film is funny and entertaining.  Better than some of the recent other films from Will Ferrell lately.

Wall Street:  Money Never Sleeps.  My rating:  6 out of 10.  Considering that a) the original is a classic and b) this film could have been a much better commentary on the current economy we live in, this film comes away as a disappointment.  It’s not terrible, it just comes nowhere close to living up to the original.

Buried.  My rating:  8 out of 10.  Ryan Reynolds steps up and shows he actually can act.  Very Hitchcock-ian film, bleak and depressing but extremely claustrophobic and suspenseful.

Grown Ups.  My rating:  6 out of 10.  Adam Sandler seems to be phoning it in lately, making films with his buddies that are nowhere near as good as his classics like Happy Gilmore or Billy Madison.  Has some funny moments but could have been better.

The rest of the backlog is after the jump

PCP on DVD - 14 short reviews of 2010 films

Continuing on with the clearing out of my backlog of reviews, here are my quick thoughts on 14 films from 2010, released between January and July of last year.  After these, my backlog is now down to 28 films, 16 from 2010 and 12 from 2011.  Once I’m back into 2011 I’ll go back to longer reviews. 

Shutter Island.  My rating:  9 out of 10.  I loved this movie.  Of course, anything directed by Martin Scorsese is a must-watch film in my book though.  Great twists and turns; a great mystery.  Very enjoyable film and I did not see the ending coming.

Alice in Wonderland.  My rating:  6 out of 10.  Honestly, give me the old Disney cartoon over this.  It looks like Tim Burton was dropping serious amounts of LSD when he filmed this.  Visually creative and beautiful, but it is probably too scary for little kids.

How to Train Your Dragon.  My rating:  10 out of 10.  Dreamworks finally made a film to match Pixar.  Funny, lighthearted, touching, and entertaining.  Great film all around, and one I can watch again and again.

From Paris with Love.  My rating:  6 out of 10.  Decent old-school style action flick.  Loved the Pulp Fiction reference Travolta’s character makes.  Good action sequences, but more believable than many action films, not too over the top in terms of events occurring that defy the laws of physics.

Repo Men.  My rating:  6 out of 10.  It’s a bleak look at a future where corporations rule the world and a dark sci-fi film with a high body count.  A good twist ending as well, but not a movie I’d watch a 2^nd time unless there was absolutely nothing else on.

Date Night.  My rating:  6 out of 10.  Not as funny as it should have been given its stars.  Mark Wahlberg was funnier in this than either Tina Fey or Steve Carell. 

The rest are after the jump

PCP on DVD - 12 supershort reviews

Ok so my wife pointed out to me that my backlog will never get cleared out unless I really clear them out en masse.  She also pointed out that I should focus more on the newer releases on DVD, instead of the older stuff that we caught on DVD.  So, I’m going to wipe out my entire backlog of everything that is from 2009 or older in one fell swoop, with super short reviews- twitter sized reviews basically.  So here’s my quick thoughts on 12 films from 2009 or older that for some reason or another we watched on DVD within the past couple months.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant.  My rating:  6 out of 10.  It’s ok, not great.  Hayek and Reilly are entertaining, but the movie is only average.

Planet 51.  My rating:  6 out of 10.  Cute but not great.  Decent kids movie, not as much there for the adults though.

The Joneses.  My rating:  7 out of 10.  Very interesting dark comedy with a disturbing and creepy premise.  Marketing majors would find this especially interesting.  Good social commentary on the consumer nation we live in.

Good Hair.  My rating:  7 out of 10.  Funny and interesting look into the world of hair, documentary made by Chris Rock.  You’ll never look at a weave the same way again.

Why Did I Get Married?  My rating:  6 out of 10.  Average film with a message from Tyler Perry.  Better than its sequel.

Surrogates.  My rating:  5 out of 10.  Promising premise, so-so execution.  It’s ok.  If you don’t like sci-fi take a pass.

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle.  My rating:  7 out of 10.  Rebecca De Mornay is great and chilling in this, very creepy.  A bit cheesy though, kind of shows its age a little bit (it is 20 years old now).

Carriers.  My rating:  4 out of 10.  I wouldn’t have watched this if it didn’t star Captain Kirk aka Chris Pine.  Even then though, not worth really watching.  Rather bleak and depressing, and not particularly good.

The Time Traveler’s Wife.  My rating:  7 out of 10.  Cute and sappy, guaranteed to make your wife cry.  Not a romantic comedy though, more like a romantic drama, which is more depressing.

Surf Ninjas.  My rating:  3 out of 10.  I wouldn’t have watched this if my wife didn’t force me to, as she loved it when she was a kid.  Terrible film, super cheesy.  I guess it would have been better if I had watched this back when it came out, when I was 12, but at 29 it is just weak.

Dahmer.  My rating:  5 out of 10.  Jeremy Renner is creepy as heck as serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.  Unfortunately the rest of the movie is only average.

Lilo & Stitch.  My rating:  8 out of 10.  Probably the best Disney non-Pixar film of the past 15 years.  Funny and heartwarming.  I’ll definitely be adding this to the collection of movies I’m buying for my soon to arrive child.

Ok so now the backlog is down to 39.  I’ll also be cranking out the 2010 films I’ve seen like this shortly, then I’ll go back to longer reviews on the films from 2011.  Thanks for stopping by!